Carbon Farming (Forestry) Surveys

NZ has signed the Kyoto Protocol which sets target levels for reducing greenhouse gases to those existing in 1990. The Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) was established to help achieve the Kyoto emissions target, and the Forestry sector was the first to enter the ETS. Surveying The Bay can assist with Carbon Farming surveys for forestry.

As trees grow they convert atmospheric carbon dioxide into carbon, and thus are a hugely important store of carbon. Because of this the Government has developed policies which encourage landowners to establish and maintain permanent forests.

There are schemes available to encourage land owners to plant forests, such as the Permanent Forest Sink Initiative (PFSI) and the Afforestation Grant Scheme (AGS).

Existing forests have been divided into two categories, depending on whether they were established pre-1990 or post-1989, and the effect on each is very different.

If the forest is in the pre-1990 category it’s not part of the ETS unless the trees are deforested – that is, they are felled and the land use changed. If this happens the financial consequences could be huge.

However, farmers who own no more than 50ha of pre-1990 forests can apply for an exemption from the ETS so there are no liabilities for deforestation, but they had to do so before September 30th 2011.

If farmers don’t apply for an exemption they can still apply for a one-off allocation of carbon units, which must be applied for by November 30th 2011.

The other important date is December 31st 2012, when farmers with post-1989 forests need to apply to join the ETS to take advantage of carbon units for the 2008-2012 period.

Farm foresters should make themselves aware of their liabilities and obligations under the ETS, and should consult professional advisers experienced in this area. Also, please refer to the downloadable information below.

Surveying The Bay can prepare a 50ha exemption, or perform forestry surveys. We also perform surveys for the establishment of QEII conservation covenants, or any other form of covenant, should these be required.

We strongly recommend seeking expert advice before proceeding with any forestry activity.

Please feel free to download the following Reference Material:

• Fact Sheet for Maori Landowners (PDF 2MB)
• Classifying Land for Forestry ETS (PDF 500KB)
• ETS Guide to Forestry Allocation and Exemptions Dec2010 (PDF 622KB)

As trees grow they convert atmospheric carbon dioxide into carbon.